Inconspicuous mode for mobile devices

ABSTRACT

A communication device is configured to switch from a normal mode of operation to an inconspicuous mode of operation in which a reduced set of information is presented on a home screen of a display of the device in comparison to a set of information presented on the home screen in the normal mode of operation. In addition, other display properties such as contrast and brightness may be adjusted to make them less conspicuous. The home screen in the inconspicuous mode of operation is less obtrusive or conspicuous to individuals than in the normal mode of operation. The device may enter the inconspicuous mode upon user request or by detecting at least one environmental condition using a sensor available to the mobile communication device. The environmental condition may be anything that the device can detect or sense in its surrounding environment such as ambient light or sound. The device may return to the normal mode of operation by user request or when the environmental condition is no longer present.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/569,706, filed on Dec. 13, 2014, entitled “INCONSPICUOUS MODE FORMOBILE DEVICES” (Atty. Dkt. No. 332492.04), which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/851,776, filed on Mar. 27, 2013,entitled “INCONSPICUOUS MODE FOR MOBILE DEVICES,” which is now U.S. Pat.No. 8,934,879, issued Jan. 13, 2015 (Atty. Dkt. No. 332492.02), which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/177,590, filed onJul. 7, 2011, entitled “INCONSPICUOUS MODE FOR MOBILE DEVICES,” which isnow U.S. Pat. No. 8,483,772, issued July 9, 2013 (Atty. Dkt. No.332492.01). This application is also a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15,197,123, filed on June 29, 2016, entitled“INCONSPICUOUS MODE FOR MOBILE DEVICES” (Atty. Dkt. No. 332492.05),which is a continuation of the above-referenced U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/569,706 (Atty. Dkt. No. 332492.04) of and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/569,705, filed on Dec. 13, 2014, entitled“INCONSPICUOUS MODE FOR MOBILE DEVICES” which is now U.S. Pat. No.9,398,141, issued Jul. 19, 2016 (Atty. Dkt. No. 332492.03). U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/569,705 is a continuation of theabove-referenced U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/851,776 (Atty. Dkt.No. 332492.02). All of the afore-referenced applications are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Mobile communication devices are increasingly important and are incommon use in many environments. Accordingly, individuals often keepthem on their person throughout large portions of the day. In part, theubiquity of mobile communication devices arises because such devices areoften capable of performing many different functions. For instance,mobile communication devices may support any of a variety ofapplications, such as a telephone application, a video conferencingapplication, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, ablogging application, a digital camera application, a digital videocamera application, a web browsing application, a digital music playerapplication, and/or a digital video player application, and so on.

One problem with the ubiquity of these devices in so many differentenvironments is that their use in not appropriate in all settings. Asone common example, in a theater the sound from a mobile communicationdevice and the light from its display can be distracting to othertheater patrons. Even if the user deactivates certain features such asaudio notification of incoming calls and text messages, users may stillrely on other features while in the theater. For example, mobilecommunication devices are sometimes used as a substitute for a watch,and these people may use the device to check the time while in thetheater. Even this use of the device can be distracting to other theaterpatrons because of the light emanating from the display when the userlooks at the display to see the time. Many of these same and othersimilar problems arise not only in theaters, but in other environmentsand venues such as in a meeting room, automobile and even bedrooms.

SUMMARY

In some implementations a communications device may be placed in aninconspicuous mode in which its display and certain hardware featuresare modified so that the device is better suited for an environment suchas a theater or other venue in which individuals other than the user donot wish to be disturbed by the communication device. While in theinconspicuous mode, specific features may be disabled such as thegeneration of sound. Additionally, the appearance of the display may bechanged. For instance, the brightness may be decreased, the contrast maybe increased, and information presented on the home or default screenwill be changed. For instance, all information and notifications may beremoved from the screen except for a limited number of items that may beuser-selectable. For instance, in one implementation, any backgroundimages may be replaced with a dark solid color and only a singlenotification (e.g., time-of-day) is presented which is easy to read onthe dark screen. In one particular implementation, the communicationdevice is configured to enter the inconspicuous mode upon user requestor upon detecting at least one environmental condition using a sensoravailable to the mobile communication device. The environmentalcondition may be anything that can be detected or sensed by the mobilecommunication device while in the venue or other environment. The sensordetermines if the detected environmental condition satisfies at leastone prescribed criterion. If it does, the communication device switchesfrom a normal mode of operation to an inconspicuous mode of operation inwhich a reduced set of information is presented on a home screen of adisplay of the mobile communication device in comparison to a set ofinformation presented on the home screen of the display of the mobilecommunication device in the normal mode of operation. The home screen inthe inconspicuous mode of operation is less obtrusive or conspicuous toindividuals than in the normal mode of operation.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a mobilecommunication device.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the default or home screen when the mobilecommunication device is in its normal mode of operation, and an exampleof the default or home screen when the mobile communication device is inits inconspicuous mode of operation.

FIG. 3 shows one example of a system for implementing an inconspicuousmode of operation on a mobile communication device such as the deviceshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting in more detail one particularimplementation of the inconspicuous mode system shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating one example of the operation of amobile communication device having the inconspicuous mode systemdescribed herein.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the operation of amobile communication device having the inconspicuous mode systemdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a computing device100. In some examples the device is a mobile communications device suchas a wireless telephone that also contains other functions, such as PDAand/or music player functions. To that end the device may support any ofa variety of applications, such as a telephone application, a videoconferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messagingapplication, a blogging application, a digital camera application, adigital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digitalmusic player application, and/or a digital video player application.While the example in FIG. 1 is depicted as a mobile communicationsdevice, the computing device more generally may by any of a wide varietyof different devices such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, asmart phone and a netbook, for example.

The device 100 includes a memory unit 102 (which may include one or morecomputer readable storage media), a memory controller 122, one or moreprocessors (CPU's) 120, a peripherals interface 118, RF circuitry 108,audio circuitry 110, a speaker 111, a microphone 113, display system103, an input/output (I/O) subsystem 106, other input or control devices116, and an external port 124. These components may communicate over oneor more communication buses or signal lines 103. Along with the input orcontrol devices 116, the speaker 111, microphone 113 and display system103 form a user interface through which a user can enter and receivevarious types of information and can communicate with other individualsover communication networks using RF circuitry 108.

It should be appreciated that the device 100 is only one example of amobile communications device 100 and that the device 100 may have moreor fewer components than shown, may combine two or more components, or amay have a different configuration or arrangement of components. Thevarious components shown in FIG. 1 may be implemented in hardware,software or a combination of both hardware and software, including oneor more signal processing and/or application specific integratedcircuits.

Memory unit 102 may include high-speed random access memory andnon-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices,flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices.Access to memory unit 102 by other components of the device 100, such asthe CPU 120 and the peripherals interface 118, may be controlled by thememory controller 122. The peripherals interface 118 couples the inputand output peripherals of the device to the CPU 120 and memory unit 102.The one or more processors 120 run or execute various software programsand/or sets of instructions stored in memory unit 102 to perform variousfunctions for the device 100 and to process data. In some examples theperipherals interface 118, the CPU 120, and the memory controller 122may be implemented on a single chip, such as a chip 104. In otherexamples they may be implemented on separate chips.

The RF (radio frequency) circuitry 108 includes a receiver andtransmitter (e.g., a transceiver) for respectively receiving and sendingRF signals, also called electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry 108converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals andcommunicates with communications networks and other communicationsdevices via the electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry 108 mayinclude well-known circuitry for performing these functions, includingbut not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or moreamplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signalprocessor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card,memory, and so forth. The RF circuitry 108 may communicate withnetworks, such as the Internet, also referred to as the World Wide Web(WWW), an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellulartelephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and/or ametropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices by wirelesscommunication. The wireless communication may use any of a plurality ofcommunications standards, protocols and technologies, including but notlimited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced DataGSM Environment (EDGE), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA),wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multipleaccess (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/orIEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocolfor email, instant messaging, and/or Short Message Service (SMS)), orany other suitable communication protocol, including communicationprotocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document.

The audio circuitry 110, the speaker 111, and the microphone 113 form apart of the user interface provide an audio interface between a user andthe device 100. The audio circuitry 110 receives audio data from theperipherals interface 118, converts the audio data to an electricalsignal, and transmits the electrical signal to the speaker 111. Thespeaker 111 converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves.The audio circuitry 110 also receives electrical signals converted bythe microphone 113 from audible signals (i.e., sound waves). The speaker111 and microphone 113 are two examples of audio transducers that may beemployed in the mobile communications device. The audio circuitry 110converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the audiodata to the peripherals interface 118 for processing. Audio data may beretrieved from and/or transmitted to memory unit 102 and/or the RFcircuitry 108 by the peripherals interface 118. In some embodiments, theaudio circuitry 110 also includes a headset jack (not shown). Theheadset jack provides an interface between the audio circuitry 110 andremovable audio input/output peripherals, such as output-only headphonesor a headset with both output (e.g., a headphone for one or both ears)and input (e.g., a microphone).

The I/O subsystem 106 couples input/output peripherals on the device100, such as the display screen 112 and other input/control devices 116,to the peripherals interface 118. The I/O subsystem 106 may include adisplay controller 156 and one or more input controllers 160 for otherinput or control devices. The one or more input controllers 160receive/send electrical signals from/to other input or control devices116. The other input/control devices 116 may include physical buttons(e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches,joysticks, click wheels, and so forth. In some examples inputcontroller(s) 160 may be coupled to any (or none) of the following: akeyboard, infrared port, USB port, and a pointer device such as a mouse.

The display screen 112 provides an input interface and an outputinterface between the device and a user. The display controller 156receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to the display screen 112.The display screen 112 displays visual output to the user. The visualoutput may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combinationthereof (collectively termed “graphics”).

The display screen 112 will generally include a suitable display such asan OLED display, PLED display, active matrix liquid crystal display,passive matrix liquid crystal display, electrophoretic display,cholesteric liquid crystal display, polymer dispersed liquid crystal andnematic liquid crystal display. In some implementations the displayscreen 112 may be a touch-screen display.

The device 100 also includes a power system 162 for powering the variouscomponents. The power system 162 may include a portable power supply(e.g., battery) and components necessary to receive power from analternating current (AC) source, a power management system, a rechargingsystem, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverterand any other components associated with the generation, management anddistribution of power in portable devices.

In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory unit 102may include an operating system 126, a communication module (or set ofinstructions) 128, a contact/motion module (or set of instructions) 130,a graphics module (or set of instructions) 132, a text input module (orset of instructions) 134, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module (orset of instructions) 135, a sound module 133 (or set of instructions)and applications (or set of instructions) 136.

The operating system 126 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X,Microsoft WINDOWS®, Android or an embedded operating system such asVxWorks) includes various software components and/or drivers forcontrolling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management,storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitatescommunication between various hardware and software components. Thecommunication module 128 facilitates communication with other devicesover one or more external ports 124 and also includes various softwarecomponents for handling data received by the RF circuitry 108 and/or theexternal port 124 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.).

The graphics module 132 includes various known software components forrendering and displaying graphics on the display screen 112, includingcomponents for changing the intensity of graphics that are displayed. Asused herein, the term “graphics” includes any object that can bedisplayed to a user, including without limitation text, web pages, icons(such as user-interface objects including soft keys), digital images,videos, animations and the like. The text input module 134, which may bea component of graphics module 132, provides soft keyboards for enteringtext in various applications (e.g., contacts 137, e-mail 140, IM 141,blogging 142, browser 147, and any other application that needs textinput).

The GPS module 135 determines the location of the device and providesthis information for use in various applications (e.g., applicationsthat provide location-based services such as weather widgets, localyellow page widgets, and map/navigation widgets).

The applications 136 may include any combination of the followingillustrative modules: a contacts module, a telephone module; a videoconferencing module; an e-mail client module an instant messaging (IM)module; a blogging module; a camera module; an image management module;a video player module; a music player module; a browser module; a wordprocessing module; a voice recognition module; a calendar module; widgetmodules, which may include a weather widget, stocks widget, calculatorwidget, alarm clock widget, dictionary widget, and other widgetsobtained by the user, as well as user-created widgets.

Each of the above identified modules and applications correspond to aset of instructions for performing one or more functions describedabove. These modules (i.e., sets of instructions) need not beimplemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, andthus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwisere-arranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory unit 102may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above.Furthermore, memory unit 102 may store additional modules and datastructures not described above.

As previously mentioned, an inconspicuous mode is a mode of operationthat can be activated on a communications device which modifies itsdisplay and certain hardware features so that the device is bettersuited for an environment such as a theater or other venue in whichindividuals other than the user do not wish to be disturbed by thecommunication device. While in the inconspicuous mode, specific featuresmay be disabled such as the generation of sound. Additionally, theappearance of the display will be changed. For instance, the brightnessmay be decreased, the contrast may be increased, and informationpresented on the home or default screen will be changed. For instance,all information and notifications may be removed from the screen exceptfor a limited number of items that may be user-selectable. Moreover, theitems remaining on the screen can by presented in a less disturbingmanner by, for instance, controlling the background, such as by makingit a solid color. In general, the user will be able to customize theitem or items that appear on the display when the device is in theinconspicuous mode.

FIG. 2 shows an example (a) of the default or home screen when themobile communication device is in its normal mode of operation, and anexample (b) of the default or home screen when the mobile communicationdevice is in its inconspicuous mode of operation. As shown in example(a), in its normal mode, the screen presents a background image andprovides various information concerning device status, the number ofunanswered voice and text messages and so on. On the other hand, asshown in example (b), the only information presented is the current timeof day and a small indicator, which serves as notification to the userthat some prioritized event has occurred. For example, the indicator mayindicate that a message has been received from one more individuals whohave been specified by the user as being of high priority. The indicatorwill not be displayed if messages have only been received from otherindividuals. Other than showing the time of day and the indicator, theremainder of the display will be dark in this implementation.

FIG. 3 shows one example of a system for implementing an inconspicuousmode in a mobile communication device such as the device shown inFIG. 1. The system includes a graphical, text-based or other userinterface 202 that is presented to a user, through which, among otherthings, the user can configure various settings for the inconspicuousmode. The user interface 202 interacts with the operating system 204.The operating system 204 interacts with an inconspicuous mode component206 for controlling access to various applications or features 208 ofthe device, including certain hardware features such as the display andother output devices such as the speaker. In some implementations theinconspicuous mode component 206 may be directly incorporated into theoperating system.

The user interface 202 allows a user to select which items are to appearon the display while the device is in the inconspicuous mode. It mayalso allow the user to control other aspects of the inconspicuous modesuch as the precise brightness level of the display when in theinconspicuous mode, the environmental conditions or factors that mayautomatically trigger the device to enter the inconspicuous mode(discussed in more detail below), and so on. Among other things, theuser interface 202 may provide a list or menu from which the user canselect or unselect those specific items that are to be displayed whilein the inconspicuous mode. The items or information which are presentedrepresent a limited subset of the items or information that would bepresented in the normal mode.

Generally, the behavior of any application or feature installed on thedevice can be modified while the device is in the inconspicuous mode. Insome implementations the user interface may present a default set ofitems whose appearance on the display will be modified, as well as thespecific way in which those items will be modified while the device isin the inconspicuous mode.

For example, the user may specify that only the time so day should bedisplayed in inconspicuous mode and that its brightness should bereduced by e.g., 60%, from its maximum value. The user may also be ableto choose how other aspects of the display are presented. For instance,the user may be given a choice of font sizes and colors from which tochoose. The choices presented to the user may be those which arerelatively inconspicuous in comparison to the choices that wouldotherwise be available.

The mobile communication device can enter the inconspicuous modeautomatically or upon user selection. Automatic entry can be triggeredupon the occurrence of any of a wide variety of events that can bedetected by the mobile communication device. Many of these eventsinvolve the detection of environmental conditions that can be detectedby one or more sensors incorporated in the mobile communication device.Two examples of such environmental conditions are ambient sound andambient light levels, which the device can detect using a light sensorand microphone, respectively.

In one example, the mobile communication device may enter theinconspicuous mode when it detects that the ambient light level hasfallen below a certain level, which may reflect, for instance, that theuser is in a darkened theater or is about to go to bed. Likewise, thedevice may enter the inconspicuous mode when it detects that the ambientsound or noise level has fallen below a certain level, which may againreflect, for instance, that the user is in a darkened theater in which amovie is about to begin, or that the user is about to go to bed.Moreover, these environmental conditions may be detected and used incombination to better assess whether the device should enter theinconspicuous mode. As one example, if the device detects both a lowlight level and a low noise level, the device may be configured (bydefault or user specification) to enter the inconspicuous mode, whereasif the device detects both a low light level and a noise level abovesome threshold, the device may be configured (by default or userspecification) so that it does not enter the inconspicuous mode. Theformer situation may indicate, for instance, that the device is locatedin a bedroom in which the user is sleeping, while the latter situationmay indicate, for instance, that the user is watching TV or listening tomusic in a darkened room.

Many additional conditions reflecting the environment in which themobile communication device is located may be used to determine when toenter (and possibly exit) the inconspicuous mode. For instance, in oneimplementation the mobile communication device includes a devicelocation module such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver(e.g., GPS module 135 shown in FIG. 1). GPS receivers are capable ofupdating a device's location on a real or near real-time basis. Thelocation is typically represented in terms of the physical coordinatesof the mobile device on the surface of the Earth, which typicallyoutputs a location as latitude and longitude values. The GPS receivercan also employ other geo-positioning mechanisms, including, but notlimited to, triangulation, assisted GPS (AGPS), E-OTD, CI, SAI, ETA, BSSor the like, to further determine the physical location of the mobilecommunication device 200. If the mobile communication device can compareits location data to a map or other database that identifies the venuescorresponding to that location, the device can determine whether andwhen it should enter the inconspicuous mode. If, for instance, thedevice uses its location information to determine that it is in atheater, it may automatically enter inconspicuous mode. The venue map ordatabase information needed to identify the venue in which the device islocated, along with the processing necessary to compare the locationdata to the venue map or database information may be resident on themobile communication device or it may be in whole or in part offered tothe mobile communication device as a cloud-based service.

Yet another source of data that the mobile communication device may useto determine when it is in a venue that should trigger initiation of theinconspicuous mode is calendar data that may be available from ascheduling application resident on the device. For instance, if the userenters into the device's calendar that he or she will be attending thetheater on Tuesday at 7 pm or that attending a dinner on Thursday at 8pm, the inconspicuous mode component 206 may access this data andperform a keyword search to determine those days and times when itshould enter the inconspicuous mode. Such a calendar or schedulingapplication may be embodied, for example, in commercially availablesoftware such as Microsoft Corporation's Outlook® messaging andcollaboration client.

Other applications resident on the device may be used to obtaininformation for determining when to enter the inconspicuous mode. Forexample, if the device is used to purchase tickets or the like throughits web browser or through an application that employs a Near FieldCommunication (NFC) or RFID sensor, which allows the user to swipe thedevice over an NFC or RFID tag to purchase or claim a ticket, theincoming information can be parsed by the inconspicuous mode component206 to determine where and when to enter the inconspicuous mode.

In other implementations mobile communication device may, through othercomponents, obtain other information that might be employed to determinethe location of the device, including for example, Wi-Fi access pointshaving particular service set identifiers (SSIDs), e.g., “home,” “ABCtheater”, or even a MAC address, IP address, or the like which isassociated with a specific location. In some cases the venue itself mayparticipate in the venue determination process. For example, at thebeginning of a movie, the theater may send a localized broadcast to alldevices within the venue instructing them to enter an inconspicuousmode. The broadcast may be of any type that can be detected by themobile communication device and may be, for example, in the form of anaudio, optical, RFID or text message.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting in more detail one particularimplementation of the inconspicuous mode component 206 shown in FIG. 3.As shown, the inconspicuous mode component includes, among other things,an inconspicuous mode process 315, inconspicuous state API 330, usersettings 340, display control processes 350 and other devices processes360.

In operation, information obtained from one or more environmentalsampling sensors 320 (e.g., microphone, light sensor, GPS) or one ormore applications 310 (e.g., calendar, web browser) initiates aninconspicuous mode process 315 that communicates with the deviceoperating system via an inconspicuous state API 330. The inconspicuousmode process 315 extracts or otherwise parses pertinent information fromthe sampling sensor(s) 320 and/or the application(s) 310. Theinconspicuous mode process 315 also accesses user settings 340 that aremaintained in memory or other storage via inconspicuous state API 330.The user settings 340 contain a record of information provided by theuser through the user interface 202 (see FIG. 3). The informationspecifies the conditions under which the device should enter theinconspicuous mode and the actions that the device should take while inthe inconspicuous mode. If no user settings have been specified, then adefault record may be accessed by the inconspicuous mode process 315.The inconspicuous mode process 315 compares the pertinent informationextracted or parsed from the sampling sensor(s) 320 and/orapplication(s) 310, and compares it to the information obtained fromuser settings 340 or from default settings. If the protected modeprocess 315 determines that the environmental conditions indicate thatthe device should enter the inconspicuous mode, it causes the protectedstate API 330 to perform any adjustments to the information presented onthe device display as well as any adjustments to device hardware (e.g.,speaker or ringer) that are needed to place the device in theinconspicuous mode.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating one example of the operation of amobile communication device having the inconspicuous mode systemdescribed herein. The method begins at step 510 when at least oneenvironmental condition is detected in a venue where the mobilecommunication device is located using a sensor available to the mobilecommunication device. The environmental condition may be anything thatcan be detected or sensed by the mobile communication device while inthe venue. Illustrative conditions include light or sound levels andlocation information. At decision step 520, the sensor determines if thedetected environmental condition satisfies at least one prescribedcriterion. If not, then at step 530 the process returns to step 510where the environmental condition continues to be monitored. If thedetected environmental condition satisfies the environmental condition,the communication device switches from a normal mode of operation to aninconspicuous mode of operation in which a reduced set of information ispresented on a home screen of a display of the mobile communicationdevice in comparison to a set of information presented on the homescreen of the display of the mobile communication device in the normalmode of operation. The home screen in the inconspicuous mode ofoperation is less obtrusive or conspicuous to individuals than in thenormal mode of operation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the operation of amobile communication device having the inconspicuous mode systemdescribed herein. The method begins in step 610 by extractinginformation from an application residing on the mobile communicationdevice indicating that the mobile communication device should enter theinconspicuous mode at a specified time on a specified date. At thespecified time on the specified date, the mobile communication switchesin step 620 from the normal mode of operation to the inconspicuous modeof operation. In one implementation, in the inconspicuous mode allinformation that otherwise would be presented on the home screen of themobile communication device in the normal mode of operation iseliminated except for time of day information and possibly an indicatorof prioritized information.

The mobile communication device can exit the inconspicuous mode andreturn to the normal mode upon the user's request. For instance, in someimplementations the user may swipe an appropriate portion of the screenor shake the device in order to return to normal mode. The device mayalso return to the normal mode of operation when the environmentalcondition which caused it to enter the inconspicuous mode is no longerpresent.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “engine,”“system,” “apparatus,” “interface,” or the like are generally intendedto refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination ofhardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example,a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on aprocessor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both anapplication running on a controller and the controller can be acomponent. One or more components may reside within a process and/orthread of execution and a component may be localized on one computerand/or distributed between two or more computers.

Furthermore, the claimed subject matter may be implemented as a method,apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/orengineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or anycombination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosedsubject matter. For instance, the claimed subject matter may beimplemented as a computer-readable medium embedded with a computerexecutable program, which encompasses a computer program accessible fromany computer-readable storage device or storage media. For example,computer readable media can include but are not limited to magneticstorage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ),optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) . .. ), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive. . . ). Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize manymodifications may be made to this configuration without departing fromthe scope or spirit of the claimed subject matter.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

1. A computer-readable storage memory containing instructions forcausing a mobile device to perform operations, the operationscomprising: detecting at least one environmental condition using asensor of the mobile device; detecting that the at least oneenvironmental condition satisfies a predefined criteria; and in responseto detecting that the at least one environmental condition satisfies apredefined criteria, switching from a normal mode of operation to aninconspicuous mode of operation in which a reduced set of information ispresented on a home screen of a display of the mobile device relative toa set of information presented on the home screen of the display of themobile device in the normal mode of operation.
 2. The computer-readablestorage memory of claim 1, wherein the at least one environmentalcondition includes at least one of light or sound.
 3. Thecomputer-readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein the sensor is adevice location module of the mobile device and the at least oneenvironmental condition is based at least in part on a location of themobile device determined via use of the device location module.
 4. Thecomputer-readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein the at least oneenvironmental condition is based at least in part a location of thecomputing device determined via communications with a cloud-basedservice.
 5. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise: switching back to the normal mode ofoperation from the inconspicuous mode of operation; detecting a networkidentifier of a wireless local area network; and in response todetecting the network identifier, switching from the normal mode ofoperation to the inconspicuous mode of operation.
 6. Thecomputer-readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein the reduced set ofinformation includes time and/or date information.
 7. Thecomputer-readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein the reduced set ofinformation includes a notification of an occurrence of an event.
 8. Thecomputer-readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein a brightness of thehome screen is dimmer in the inconspicuous mode of operation than in thenormal mode of operation.
 9. A method executed on a mobile device, themethod comprising: detecting at least one environmental condition usinga sensor of the mobile device; detecting that the at least oneenvironmental condition satisfies at least one prescribed criteria; andin response to detecting that the at least one environmental conditionsatisfies at least one prescribed criteria, switching from a normal modeof operation to an inconspicuous mode of operation in which a reducedset of information is presented on a home screen of a display of themobile device relative to a set of information presented on the homescreen of the display of the mobile device in the normal mode ofoperation.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least oneenvironmental condition includes at least one of light or sound.
 11. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the at least one environmental condition isbased at least in part on a location of the mobile device determined viause of a device location module or based at least in part on a locationof the mobile device determined via network communications.
 12. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises: switching backto the normal mode of operation from the inconspicuous mode ofoperation; detecting a network identifier of a wireless local areanetwork; and in response to detecting the network identifier, switchingfrom the normal mode of operation to the inconspicuous mode ofoperation.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the reduced set ofinformation includes time and/or date information.
 14. The method ofclaim 9, wherein a brightness of the home screen is dimmer in theinconspicuous mode of operation than in the normal mode of operation,and wherein at least one audio indication is disabled in theinconspicuous mode of operation.
 15. A mobile device, comprising: amemory and a processor that are respectively adapted to store andexecute instructions, including instructions that perform operationsthat: detect at least one environmental condition using information froma sensor of the mobile device; detect that the at least oneenvironmental condition meets at least one pre-established criteria; andin response to the detection that at least one environmental conditionmeets at least one pre-established criteria, switch from a normal modeof operation to an inconspicuous mode of operation in which lessinformation is presented on a home screen of a display of the mobiledevice relative to information presented on the home screen of thedisplay of the mobile device in the normal mode of operation.
 16. Themobile device of claim 15, wherein the at least one environmentalcondition includes at least one of light or sound.
 17. The mobile deviceof claim 15, wherein the at least one environmental condition is basedat least in part on a location of the mobile device determined via useof a device location module of the mobile device or based at least inpart on a location of the mobile device determined via networkcommunications.
 18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein theinstructions further include instructions that: switch to the normalmode of operation from the inconspicuous mode of operation; detect anetwork identifier of a wireless local area network; and in response tothe detection of the network identifier, switch from the normal mode ofoperation to the inconspicuous mode of operation.
 19. The mobile deviceof claim 15, wherein the information that is presented on the homescreen of the display of the mobile device in the inconspicuous mode ofoperation includes time information.
 20. The mobile device of claim 15,wherein a brightness of the home screen is dimmer in the inconspicuousmode of operation than in the normal mode of operation.